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HOME and COUNTRY Published by The Ontario Women’s Institutes at Toronto, Ontario Volume 7 FALL, 1941 SINCERITY OF PURPOSE PERMEATES CONVENTIONS If any one phrase could epitomize the spirit of the women’s, Institute conventions this fall, it might be “sin- ,rcrity of purpose". In spite of the pressure of war work, delegates and .rsitors alike have attended the conâ€" vr, tions with minds attuned to to. day's needs and determined to seek information with which to meet their problems. May we take this opportunity to i-vmgratulate those Institutes which pted their responsibility for send- ,,g a delegate prepared to remain for !I sessions and to represent her In. ‘itute even in those closing sessions hen so often matters of real importâ€" nce are still under discussion. (The mronto convéntion has not yet been Hold.) The Path to Victory The wartime responsibilities of In- .itutes have been given first place. ,ildresses like the one at Hamilton ivcn by Dr. Salmon of Mail/[aster .lniversity, which emphasized that The Path to Victory" lies only nrough an all-out efi'ort of men, ,achines, production, money and ef- ,,.rt. gave listeners information with hich to build a better understanding I the national problems facing a .nuntry at war. At Kingston, and at h'clleville, women were inspired with His need for “International Thinking" by Dr. A. V. Douglas. Dean of Wo- .ien, Queen’s University. Everywhere, institute members were urged to 'hink deeply, study thoughtfully and vhen act to win victory and peace. Reports of war work were given. anortunately, too often these were not sufiiciently complete to give a true picture of the accomplishments of .'our organization. This coming year new area, district and Institute has I war work convener. We cannot urge Loo strongly that these conveners be diligent in reportin all work done, in loyalty to the omen’s Institutes of Ontario. Every convention area voted to ac- cept the new listing of standing com- mittees outlined in Summer Home and Country, with Historical Research as an additional committee, This change wtas unanimously hailed with appreci- zi IDI’I. Canadian Citizenship _ Members of the Guelph Area, meet- ing at Chesley, gained revived interest in the study of Canadianization (Citi- Zeflslllp) flirough the address of Prof. Watson Kirkconnell on "Problems of National Unity". From his vast ex- perience of the racial groups within the dominion, Prof. Kirkconnell gave to many a new picture of "Who is a Canadian". If your Institute has not a copy of his book, Canadians All, it IS stroneg commended to you. The book may be secured from the Bureau of Public Information, Ottawa, free of charge. “Currth Events“ was presented in a new_ light by the convener of the Bellevdle Area who said “What Is a Current Event? I feel it is not a SmIlpet of news out from a newspaper almost every one has seen. Think of She meaning of the word current. See It as a stream flowing perpetually from the past to the future. Then the Current Event is the event which shows how the current is flowing. To present to a meeting we want events of some significance and we ourselves must understand how and Why they are significan ." (Continued on page 4, col. 1) Number 3 REGIONAL CONFERENCE INSPIRES WOMEN The. ten-days Regional Conference, Associated Country Women of the World, was a meeting so filled with timely information and inspiration thatnt is impossible in a brief article to give more than a few of the out- standing impressions. The Conference was held in the Chateau Laurier. Ottawa, September 3â€"10, 1941, followed by a visit to Mont- real and Quebec City. Representatives were present from every Canadian provmce, except Saskatchewan, and from New York, Michigan, Ohio. Iowa, Rhode Island and other pans of the United States, to take advantage of the opportunity given by Mrs. Alfred Watt, M.B.E. for country women and extension workers active in rural life to meet together to secure inform- ation about and discuss their mutual problems. A wealth of well~qualified speak~ e_rs and opportunity for free discus- sion guaranteed success. The spirit of the meeting was one of sincerity and neighbourliness. The search for every possible means of promoting international unity was apparent on the part of both Canadian women and those from the United States. At its close, Canadians and Americans seem» ed very close in heart and mind. Food and Agriculture Food Problems and Agriculture oc- cupied attention the opening day. Agriculture was given its rightful place as a bulwark in national de- fence. Rural women’s organizations were urged to use their influence to promote better svricultural practices both in production and marketing, and to be ever diligent in improving rural life. Mrs. Shuttler from Missouri, in a witty address, admonished farm wo- men to be proud of that fact and to be appreciative of their economic im- portance. Mrs. Miss, President, As- sociated Farm Women, U.S.A., drew a picture of the influence of women on farms, emphasizing the value of organization and the need to “know” agriculture. “We have to he in- terested in what Jones raises, whether he lives on the next farm. in Canada or in Australia." The Hon. Jas. G. Gardiner presented a very compre- hensive picture of Canadian agn- culture, emphasizing the need to supply Great Britain's demands first and explaining why food had not been rationed. He called on the women to aid both as producers and consumers. Two round table discussions on agri- culture tcstified to the interest. Natural Resources Natural Resources Day followed, with the time spent in consideration of the depletion of natural resources, the use of substitutes and new manu- factured goods, and the use of natural resources in home crafts. At Quebec City the delegates saw a fine exhibit of Quebec hand-craft. The meeting was privileged to hear two outstanding American women on the problem of Consumer Servxccs,â€" Mrs. Helendeen Dodderidge, Con- sumer Di 'sion, U.S.A., and Mrs. May ‘1‘. Evans. Department of CiVilian Supply, Price Administration. and one Canadian. Miss Laura Pepper, Consumer Division, Canadian Departâ€" ment of Agriculture. Women were urged to make household goods last as long as possible, to plan buying so that they do not demand _labour and machinery needed for military ser- vices, to support simplification_uro- grams, to eliminate waste, to_ avoid inâ€" flation, to keep good nutrition and health in mind. Tribute was paid to Canada’s progress in gi‘ziding foods. Mrs. Dodderidge emphasized that “distribution must be so efficient that not one pound of food is wasted.” Nutrition and National Security provided the theme for the morning of the third day, Lt.-Col. Webb, Chief Inspector, Catering, Defence Department, Canada. and Miss Mary Barber, Food Consultant to Secretary of War, U.S.A., reassured all present concerning the nutritional adequacy of Canadian and American Army rations and the care being taken to use them to best advantage, Nutrition as applied to everyday life was emphasized. Interesting comments were “the husband on the farm is the greatest bottleneck in the practice of good nutrition", because “he'd ruther have what he’d rather”; “knowledge of vitamins will not make you grow, it is the vitamins them- selves which do that." Women in Wartime When the opportunity came to tell of the organized effort of women in national service, Mrs. E. A. Duke, President, F.W.I.O., presented a comprehensive and inspiring picture of the war work of the Women’s Institutes of Canada in agriculture, homemaking and special wartime activities. All were interested in the Garden Brigades of Nova Scotia deâ€" scribed by Miss Helen MacDougall, Superintendent. Miss Sheila Macdonnld told of the women of England, of the work of the garden clubs, of their interest in nutrition and better cookery, and of the growing understanding which is bringing all the people closer together. She said “A woman cooking for her own family in her own kitchen, or making a joke in an air shelter, thus bolstering morale, is truly serving in the defense of her country”. Democratic Leadership The last day which it was my privilege to attend was devoted to Democracy. In a scholarly address. Mr. Sholto Watt gave a historical sketch of the growth of democracy. Both Dr. Ruby Green Smith, Head if New York State Extension Service, and Mrs. R. Sayre of Iowa developed this theme, speaking of the need to prepare every woman to sit at the peace table so that they may actively support the ideals for which we fight. Mrs. Sayre stated that “Our business is to build roads of understanding across the barriers which divide nations". To do this Women must (I) be well informed concerning the world we live in,â€"to see it as a mechanized, specialized, rapidly moving and "shrinking" world in which nations are interde- pendent; (2) understand the progress already made in international co- operation and understanding; (3) recognize the barriers which separate nationsâ€"political, social, economic, cultural, racial, religious; (4) be willing to take action; (5) accept leadership. Dr. Ruby Green Smith outlined the qualifies of leadership as: Hopeful courage and belief in a cause. Enthusiasm, Ability to laugh and be laughed at, sincerity, Loyalty to truth, Common Sense, Courtesy, Fairness and Good Sportsmanship, Self-efi’ncement, Unselfishness. Ment- ality, Audacity, Radiance, Willing- ness to work. Responsibility, Spirit- uality. (Continued on page 2, col. 4) ONTARIO JAM HELPS BRITAIN For the third successive yc r Women’s Institute members have made jam for shipment overseas. In 1039, Women's Institute meni- bcrs in Norfolk County put into practice the idea of utilizing home grown fruits for jam for evacuated British children and adults, or for Canadian troops in hospitals over- seas. Ten thousand pounds were shipped that fall. In 1940, the jam-making enterprise, carried on co-operatively by the Wo~ men’s Institutes of Ontario and the Ontario Division, Canadian Red Cross Society, was so successful that ap- proximately one hundred and ten thousand pounds were shipped to the Canadian Red Cross Warehouse in England and to Lady Reading’s Comâ€" mittee for Civilians, It all arrived safely. Letters from England Many letters of appreciation on be- half of evacuated British children have been received. One letter from the Matron of a War Emergency Home in Wendovcr states: “I have again the great pleasure of thanking you for yOur help and generosity in sending yet another case of jam to the children of this Nursery. The members of the staff and the visitors to the Nursery to whom I have shown the label on the jam were deeply touched by the wording on it. I assure you wc are doing all in our power to ensure that the future citizens of that 'England’ for whom you in America are doing so much will be worthy in body and soul to carry on the best traditions of our Empire. They are too little now to realize the extent of your kindness but I have told their parents and you may be sure our hearts are full of gratitude.” We know that the jam is benefiting old as well as young from the follow- ing letter: “I thought perhaps that you might like to know how we were usin);r the jam which you were kind enough to send to us. “In Exeter, we have a Hostel for aged refugees from a blitzed cityâ€" the baby of the party is sixtyâ€"eight and the eldest ninety-five. I thinkâ€"â€" and our canteen workers go in every day to help them get to bed and to listen to all their troubles and lend a hand generally. “They found that the old people were suffering from shock in many cases and thought that an extra sugar ration might help in restoring their vitality. So they applied to us and we gave them a case of your raspberry jam. Unless you have seen them, I don‘t think you would ever realize how much pleasure this gave them. It was not only the actual jam, but the psychological effect of knowing that you in Canada were taking a personal interest in them, and showing your interest in such a very kind and practical way. Will you please ac- cept our very grateful thanks." Over the Top The request that more jam be shipâ€" pod this year, to meet the urgent need for both fruit and sugar, has brought a whole-hearted response from Insti- tute members. The objective set for Canada was 300,000 pounds of which 150,000 to 200,000 pounds were to come from (Continued on page 4, col. 4)